Crankshaft thrust bearing oil seal



W. E. RELL CRANKSHAFT THRUST BEARING OIL SEAL Jam 32,, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 20, 1951 V INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Jam 12, 195% w, E. BRELL. 29665355 CRANKSHAFT THRUST BEARING OIL SEAL Filed Dec. 20, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 66 /06 //////////////A w //0 K w %76 I l k z; w

Patented Jan. 12, 1954 CRANKSHAFT THRUST BEARING OIL SEAL William E. Brill, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich a corporation of Delaware Application December 20, 1951, Serial No. 262,538,

8 Claims. (01. 308-36.1)

This invention relates to shaft sealing, and particularly to the sealing of vertical driving or driven shafts against escape of lubricating oil or other liquid therealong from a bearing or other device through which the shaft extends. 5 generally a Kingsbury type bearing which sup- Although not necessarily limited thereto, the ports this lower end of the crank shaft both invention is disclosed as applied to a vertical radially and in thrust in the. usual. manner well crank shaft internal combustion engine wherein known in the art. the crank shaft is journaled in a bearing at the Although the details of this. hearing '28; and lower end of the crank case, and it is desired its means of mounting to the engine donot form that the lubricating oil for this bearing be prean essential part of the present invention, it vented from flowing down the shaft and interwill be seen on reference to Figure 2 that. this fering with operation of other equipment such as hearing comprises a thrust bearing block 38 an electric generator or other device directly whose upper surface 32 abuts the underside of coupled to the crank shaft below the engine. the crank shaft flange 22, and radial bearing, The invention provides means for collecting and block 3d of U-shaped section whose inner. and directing the flow of oil escaping from the bearlower surfaces 36 and as face the crank shaft ing in the form of stationary oil drain collector journal as and upper surface of the flange 24 housing which may be secured to the engine respectively. The bearing blocks 39' and 34' are crank case, and an oil seal ring which substaneach arranged in segments of an annular whole tially seals the crank shaft to this housing but whereby they may be assembled about the crank is itself lubricated by a small portion of the oil shaft and are retained in place by a split. andraining from the bearing, which oil portion flows nular carrier 46 of generally L-shaped. section past the seal ring and is centrifugally discharged whose vertical legs s2. are bolted as at. 44. (Fig. outwardly into the collector housing for simulta- 1) to a bearing support plate 46, .andwhose horineous drainage therefrom of this portion along zontal leg 48 underlies the block. 34. Disposed with the aforementioned main quantity of drainwithin the U-shaped block 34 is an annular age oil. spacer member 5%, a1so segmental in form, on For a complete description of the means for which rest the segmental sections of; the thrust carrying out this and other desired results of the bearing block 39. invention reference is now made to the draw- As is usual with this type bearing, adirect ings wherein: oil circulating means therefor is provided. This Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional-view of the is shown in the form of connecting drilled oil deviceof this invention as applied to the lower passages 52 and 5t extending through the base end of a vertical crank shaft internal combusand inner vertical leg, of the. block 34 respection engine, incorporating a crank shaft bearing, tively. Connecting with, the passage 52 is a pasthe drainage of lubricating oil from which is to sage 56 extending radially through the. bearing be prevented from being carried further downcarrier member from an oil inlet boss 58 (Fig. wardly along the crank shaft to a driven machine 1) which is connected by means (not shown) below. 4 to a suitable source of lubricating-oil under pres- Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view simisure. The lubricating oil thus supplied is conlar toFigure 1,showing certain parts ingreater ducted to the annular space 60 at the juncture detail. of the crank shaftflange 22 andjournal above In Figure l-the numeral [6 designates generally the bearing surfaces se and 38'and inboard of an internal combustion engine of the multi-row the bearing surfaces 32. There is a substantial radial type having a plurality of cylinder units rate of drainage of oil'from the bearing, and to l2 about a crank case It through which extends collect this drainage oil forsubsequent return to the engine crank shaft is. As shown, the enits source, and to prevent the oil from escaping g-ine is supported on a frusto-conical base [8 downwardly along the crank-shaft, there is prowhose upper end bolts or is otherwise secured 5O vided the structure now to be described. to the lower end of the engine crank case I 4 An annular oil collector housing 66, formed in and: the crank shaft or an extension 28 thereof two halves with abutting ends boltedtogether as is: coupled toran electric generator or other deat 68 surrounds the crank shaftbelow thefiange vice; (not shown); The portion of! the. crank 2,4; and is secured'as by bolts tnotshownl tathe shaft which extends out through the lower end bottom of the bearing carrier 40. This housing 2 of the crank case is shownprovidedwith longitudinally spaced thrust flanges 22 and 2d at. opposite ends of a journal 26 concentric. with the crank shaft axis. The numeral 28 designates aecaesa I crank shaft in a cylindrical seating surface 02 a of a predetermined diameterI Fixed in any suitable mannerto, the cylindrical surface 83 of the crank shaft below the flange 24 is a member 80 having a generally O-shaped section as shown, whose upper leg is provided with an annular groove 81' of predetermined width. Arranged within this groove 81 soas to have a creep fit on the side walls 88" and 90 thereof and also on the cylindrical seat 82 of the housing upper wall 1'2, is an accurately machined ring 92. For purposes of assembly and removal this ring 92 is formed in two diametrically split halves. The material of the ring 92 may be variously selected, it having been found that steel is suitable therefor. While the ring 92 is intended to effect a certain amount of sealing against the escape of oil past the ring seating surface 82, in order that this surface 82 and the sides 88 and 90 of the ring groove 81 will not be subjected to appreciable wear during engine operation, a small portion of the drain oil from the bearing 28 is desired to escape between the ring and these surfaces for purposes of their lubrication. To insure an ample supply of oil being available for this purpose the upper wall I2 is flanged upwardly at its inner margin so that the cylindrical surface 82 thereof may extend slightly above the ring 92 a short distance to form a small channel 94, the walls of which are defined by the cylindrical surface 82, the upper surface of the ring 92 and the outer face 96 of the member 86. To further improve the access of drain oil to this trough 94 the upper marginal edge of the cylindrical surface 82 is chamfered as at 98.

The lower leg 100 of the member 80 overlies the lower wall I4 of the housing 66 and acts as an oil slinger for the portion of the drain oil which passes the sealing ring 92. The lower wall I4 has its radially outer portion I02 offset below the inner portion I03 thereof whereby an upwardly presenting trough l04 is formed to collect oil thrown off by the oil slinger I00.

Cored passages I06 and I08 are provided through the upper and outer walls 12 and I6 at one side of the collector housing 66 for separately conducting the drain oil from the troughs 80 and I04 respectively. These passages extend outwardly of the housing 66 through an elbowlike boss M0 to an outlet H2 below the trough I04. The boss serves as a fitting to which a connecting hose or other means (not shown) may b attached for returning the oil to its source of supply.

There is thus disclosed a novel arrangement for sealing the vertical shaft of an engine or equivalent device against the escape of lubricating oil, and particularly such a sealing arrangement adapted to be disposed below a bearing for the shaft, which bearing requires a copious supply of lubricating oil with attendant large oil drainage. While the invention has been disclosed and described in its specific application 4 to the sealing of oil drainage from a Kingsbury type thrust bearing associated with the crank shaft of an internal combustion engine, the scope of the invention is not to be limited other than as defined by the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. The combination with a generally vertically disposed rotary shaft and a casing adapted to receive a continuous supply of liquid having a bottom wall with an opening through which the shaft extends and the liquid drains, of means for collecting said drainage liquid and sealing against the escape of liquid along the shaft, said means comprising an annular housing surrounding the shaft below said opening, said housing being of inwardly presenting generally G-shape in radial section with the upper wall of the C terminating with an annular internal seating surface facing the shaft, a ring slidably fitting said seating surface, and means fixedly associated with the shaft providing an outwardly presenting annular groove slidably receiving said ring and a slinger flange extending into said housing, said housing having separate drain passages leading outwardly thereof from the upper surface of said upper wall and from the housing interior.

2. In combination, a vertically rotating shaft, a device surrounding the shaft from which liquid tends to drain downward along the surface of the shaft, and means below said device for collecting said drainage liquid and preventing its further downward passage along the shaft surface, said means comprising a fixed upwardly open annular trough for receiving all but a small portion of said drainage liquid and having its inboard wall provided with a sealing surface concentric with and facing the shaft, a ring having an annular outer peripheral surface in creep fitting engagement with said trough surface, an annular member tightly surrounding the shaft and rotatable therewith having an outwardly presenting peripheral groove with upper and lower wall surfaces in creep fitting engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of said ring, the creep fit of said ring on said trough and groove surfaces providing for the passage of said small portion of drainage liquid between said trough and member for the purpose of lubricating said ring, a second upwardly open trough surrounding the shaft below said member for receiving said small liquid drainage portion and having its outboard wall terminating above the upper extremities of its inboard wall, a slinger fixed to the shaft and terminating laterally thereof beyond said last named inboard wall and below the upper extremities of said outboard wall, and separate drain passageways leading from the respective troughs to a point below the bottom of said lower trough.

3. In a device for collecting drainage liquid and sealing against the flow of said liquid along a vertically rotating shaft, 9, housing rotatably receiving the shaft and provided with upper and lower upwardly open annular troughs, means surrounded by the inboard wall of said upper trough for directing all but a small portion of said drainage liquid into the upper trough while providing for the passage of said small portion into the lower trough, said means comprising a ring having a predetermined fit with the inboard surface of said inboard wall and an annular member axially rotatable relative to the housing and provided with an outwardly open peripheral groove having a predetermined fit with the top and bottom surfaces of said ring, said housing having an outlet below the bottom of said lower trough, and separate passageways leading from the bottoms of said troughs to said outlet.

4. The invention of claim 3, wherein said inboard wall and said annular member cooperate to define an upwardly open annular channel immediately above the ring.

5. In combination with a vertically rotating shaft and a thrust bearing therefor below which the shaft extends, a casing surrounding the bearing and having a bottom wall provided with an opening surrounding the shaft through which oil for lubricating the bearing is permitted to drain, means for collecting and directing said drainage oil and for preventing the escape of oil downward along the surface of the shaft, said means comprising an annular housing surrounding the shaft and fixed to said casing, said housing having upper and lower upwardly open annular troughs for receiving said drainage oil, said upper trough having its inboard wall concentric with and spaced from the shaft, a seal ring embraced by and having a slight diametral clearance with the inboard surface of said inboard wall, a member rotatable with the crank shaft having an outer peripheral groove embracing the top and bottom surfaces of said ring, said member terminating outwardly of the shaft in radially spaced relation with said inboard wall surface to form an upwardly open annular channel for passage of drainage oil to the top of said ring, said housing having an outlet below the bottom of said lower trough, and separate oil drain passageways connecting said outlet with the bottoms of said respective troughs.

6. The invention of claim 5 together with an oil slinger rotatable with the crank shaft and extending into said housing below said ring.

7. In a device for collecting drainage oil and sealing against the flow of said oil along a vertically rotating shaft, an annular housing of inwardly presenting generally G-shape in radial section having the upper wall of the C terminating with an annular internal seating surface, a ring slidably fitting said seating surface and an annular member axially rotatable relative to the housing and provided with an outwardly open peripheral groove slidably receiving said ring, said housing having an outlet below the bottom interior wall of the housing, and separate oil drain passageways leading to said outlet from the upper surface of said upper wall and the interior of the housing respectively.

8. In a device for collecting drainage liquid and sealing against the flow of said liquid along a vertically rotating shaft, a housing having an annular ring seating surface facing the shaft and an upwardly presenting first trough surrounding said seating surface, a ring slidably fitting said seating surface, and an annular member rotatably carried by the shaft having an outwardly presenting peripheral groove slidably receiving said ring, said housing having a wall forming a second trough below said ring and an outlet, and separate liquid drain passageways leading from said first and second troughs to said outlet.

WILLIAM E. BRILL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

